Waltee h



(No Model.)

W. H. KNIGHT.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

"N0. 338,081. Patented Mar. 16, 1886.

Nv PETERS. Pnum-umu m her, wuhin mn. D. c.

NITED STATES WALTER H. KNIGHT,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

EPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 338,081, dated March 16, 1886.

Application filed July 10, 1885.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER H. KNIGHT, a citizen of the United States and a resident of the city of New York, N. Y., have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways, of which the following is the specification.

My invention consists in a device for guiding the depending contact apparatus in an electric railway into either one of two branches.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of the branching slot. Fig. 2 is a view of the conduit with the top removed, and Fig. 3 shows the contact apparatus.

In a patent granted to me September 23, 1884, No. 305,731, I have shown a contact apparatus depending from an electric locomotive into a slotted conduit, to maintain an electric connection between the said locomotive and the main conductors inclosed in the said conduit. This apparatus or plow, as it is termed, is shown in Fig. 3, and consists, as is described in said patent, of a metallic guard-frame extending into the slot and carrying a panel of insulating material in which are embedded the conductors with contactsprings at their lower ends. The guard-frame both protects the insulated conductor from wear and injury, and gives it a rigidity against bendingin any direction as it passes along the conduit.

\Vhenever it is necessary that a branch of the railway described in the said patent be employed, it is of course necessary that the conduit should also be branched, and some means should be employed for guiding the contact apparatus into either branch of the conduit. Such means are shown in Fig. 1. a represents the slot of the main conduit, and b and 0 represent the slots in the two branching conduits, respectively. 0 represents the guide-piece,pivoted at the branching-point P. This guidepiece is normally held in the position indicated by the full lines by means ofa spring, S, which acts upon the tail-piece A, forming a continuation of the guide-piece beyond the point P, and when in this position it closes the slot 12 and leaves a substantially clear passage from the slot a into the slot 0.

The lower edge of the guide-piece is beveled, and the plow H is pointed at either end, as

Serial No. 171,187. (No model.)

shown in Fig. 1. \Vhen, therefore, the plow,

moving in the direction of arrow 70, passes from the slot or into the slot 0, it strikes the lower edge of O and thrusts it to one side, should the passage be not quite clear; or the spring may normally hold the guide centrally over the slot, and be always thrust in a definite direction by the plow striking the bevel. In passing from slot 1) to slot a the plow will encounter the guide-piece O, as is shown in Fig. 1, and will thrust it aside against the pressure of the spring S into the position indicated by the dotted lines. Thus the guidepiece being held in a fixed position by means of the spring, the passing plow will be deflected in a definite direction. This is of special value in turn-outs where the switches of the track are always set so as to guide a vehicle in a definite directionfor example to the right, as in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 2, A B are the two main conductors, suspended upon insulating-pins from the walls of the conduit substantially in the manner described in my said patent. A B are the conductors in one branch, and A B" are the conductors in the other branch. The positive conductors are connected by bridge-wire E throughout, and the negative conductors are connected by bridge-wires F. The plow be ing guided by the slot-piece, the contact shoe or brush, which maybe used in lieu of the spring-contact of my patented plow, (shown in Fig. 3,) carried by said plow will also be guided thereby in the proper direction.

I have shown in Fig. 2a contact-brush, and it is of suflicient length to bridge the space between the positive conductor A A and the branch conductor A, so that the connection will be maintained while the plow is passing from the main to the branch conduit. A corresponding contact-brush will be employed for the negative conductor.

I am aware that beveled guide-plates adapted to be automatically operated by the contact device have been heretofore used with tubular conductors. The guide-plates as claimed in my invention, however, are upon the conduit inclosing the conductors.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim is- 1. The combination, in a branching electric railway, of conduits along the main and branch tracks, respectively, an, insulated longitudinal conductor in each conduit, a protected insulated conductor adapted to extend into either main or branch conduit and having a contact device adapted to make a traveling connection with said longitudinal conductor in either conduit, but detachable therefrom, and a movable guidepiece for the slot at the branching-point of said conduit.

2. The combination. in a branching electric railway, of a main and branch conduit, a longitudinal insulated conductor in eachconduit, a movable guide-piece adapted to close the entrance to one branch of the conduit, and an insulated contact-conductor adapted to extend into either main or branch conduit with a protecting-guard, whereby it is adapted to actu ate said guide-piece.

3. The combination, with a branching slotted conduit, of beveled guide-plates 0, spring S, adapted to hold said guide-plate over the branching-slot, and a protectedinsulated conductor adapted to extendinto eitherbranch' of the conduit and to actuate said guide-plate.

4. The combination of the main conductor A, a branch conductor, A, forming a continuation of A, a branch conductor, A, connected with A and A, and the contact device ofa length sufficient to bridge the break between A, A, and A a 5. The main conductor A, branch conductor A, forming a continuation of A, branch conductor A connected to A A, but placed so as to allowthe passage of the contact device, combined with a contact device adapted to pass from A A to A without interruption of the contact.

6. The combination, in an electric railway, of a slotted conduit, a stationary insulated electric conductor therein parallel with the slot and adapted to carry the actuating current for an electrically-propelled vehicle upon the railway, a branching slotted conduit having; also astationaryinsulated conductor parallelw it'li'theslot and in" linewith the conductor in said main conduit, a contact device extending into said conduit and adapted to move along the conductor in either conduit, and a: movable guide-piece for said device placed at the branching-point of the conduit.

7. The combination, in a branching electric railway,of a branching slotted conduit, an insulated longitudinal conductor in the main tending into the conduit with a spring reacting thereon andacting to press a contact against said longitudinal conductor, and a. movable guide-piece for the conduit at the point of branching.

conduit, an insulated conductor'inclosed in ductor extending thr'ou'gii'th'e' slot with a con- ;ta'ct device" at its lower end, and a movable branching-point'of the slot,

conduit'and an insulated conductor therein, and a contact deviceconnected with a vehicle and extending into said slot tomake connection" with said conductor, of a branch conduit conduit, and an insulatedconductor therein 'leadingt'o the main conductor'at thepoint'of Jsaid contact device, whereby the contact de= Efrom-tlie main conductor to the conductor in the branch conduit. v

In testimony whereof- I signthis'speeification, in the presence of two witnes'sess, this 30th day of June, 1885; 1 i v WALTER H; KNIGHT.

Witnesses: Gr; RENAULT,

HERBERT KNIGHT.

and .in each branch conduit, a conductor ex 8. The combination of tbe'branching slotted each branch thereof, a rigid insulated con-' guide for the said rigid conductor" at the 9; The combination, with a: main slotted 'having'a slot leadin'ginto theslot of the main junction of the two slots'andadapted to the;

.vice may pass from main to branch slot and 

